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accessary. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
accessary, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
accessary in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
accessary you have here. The definition of the word
accessary will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
accessary, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English accessarie, axcessary, excercary, from Medieval Latin accessārius.[1][2]
Noun
accessary (plural accessaries)
- (law) Someone who accedes to some act, now especially a crime; one who contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Medieval Latin accessārius.
Adjective
accessary (comparative more accessary, superlative most accessary)
- (law) Accompanying as a subordinate; additional; accessory; especially, uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See accessory.
c. 1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. (First Quarto), London: Valentine Sims for Andrew Wise, , published 1597, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], signature B2, verso:To both their deaths ſhalt thou be acceſſary.
Derived terms
Usage notes
- "This word, as used in law, is spelt accessory by Blackstone and many others; but in this sense is spelt accessary by Bouvier, Burrill, Burns, Whishaw, Dane, and the Penny Cyclopedia; while in other senses it is spelt accessory. In recent text-books on criminal law the distinction is not preserved, the spelling being either accessary or accessory." - Webster, 1913. Since that time this trend has accelerated.
References
- ^ “accessary, n. and adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ “accessō̆rie, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.